Sectional cellaret



1961 c. B. DE VAN ET AL 2,994,450

SECTIONAL CELLARET Filed Feb. 6, 195'? United States tent 2,994,450 SECTIONAL CELLARET Carolyn Bowne De Van and William T. De Van, North Ave., Westport, 'Conn.; said William T. De Van assignor to Carolyn Bowne De Van Filed Feb. 6, 1957, Ser. No. 638,561 1 Claim. (Cl. 217-29) The present invention relates to cellarets particularly designed for storing or racking bottles of wine, whiskey and the like on their sides but which, if desired, may be employed for racking other goods or packages.

A general object of the present invention is to provide such sectional cellarets in the form of separate containers or cell units which may be efliciently stacked together on their sides to form lateral or substantially horizontal cells for reception of goods or loaded bottles and which are of such strength as efiiciently to support the loads of the latter without tendency to collapse while being easily assembled together to form such cellaret structure in a ready manner by simple manipulation of simplified but effective clip devices or interfitting fastening means.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide such containers or cell units each of which may be readily employed as a receptive casing for a bottle of wine, liquor or the like to enhance the marketing thereof and a plurality of such containers or cell units may then be easily stacked on their sides in interfitting engagement by the consumer to build up a cellaret structure.

A further object of the present invention is to provide structural embodiments of the device which may be readily constructed and which will permit eflicient assembly and use thereof.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a detailed front elevational view, with parts broken away and in section, of an embodiment of a sectional cellaret structure in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the containers or cell units shown in FIG. 1, as viewed from the side thereof; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a clip device which may be employed to plug the space between three stacked containers, as shown in FIG. 2, thereby providing a smooth appearing end and to prevent the accumulation of dust between the cell units.

Referring to the drawing, in which like numerals identify similar parts throughout, it will be seen that an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A container, sleeve, or cell unit 110 can be in the general form of an elongated cylinder or casing. Each cell unit 110 is defined by a substantially rigid, circumambient side wall 50 which is defined by a plurality of interconnecting side panels 51, 51. Side wall 50 can if desired have a smooth, circular internal surface 52. Outer surface 54 of cell unit 110 is provided with three alternating tongues 56 and grooves 58 which are disposed longitudinally to the cell unit and which can extend either along the entire length of the cell unit or a portion of the length of the cell unit. The alternating tongues 56 and grooves 58 are disposed at an angle of approximately 60 with respect to each other, as viewed from either end of a cell unit 110. A substantially fiat, elongated side panel 59 can if desired be provided between each tongue 56'and groove 58. At least one end 61 of the cell unit is provided with an opening to permit reception or removal of a package.

A plurality of containers or cell units 119110 can be stacked together, by interfitting a tongue 56 and groove 58 of adjacent units.

When three cell units 110-110 are fitted together, as shown in FIG. 1, a small space 62 might be present between the three cell units. A plug or clip means 64, as shown in FIG. 3, can if desired be provided to prevent dust or other foreign matter from accumulating within space 62. Plug 64 preferably has a triangularly shaped face 66 from which extends three legs 6868. Each leg 68 is preferably sprung slightly outwardly to make con tact with side panel 59 of the adjacent cell unit 110. A detent 70 can be provided in each leg 68 and interfitting receptacle 72 for reception of the detent can be provided near the ends 74 and 76 of each side panel 59 to maintain cell units 110-110 in their same relative longitudinal position and to prevent movement of plug 64.

The face 66 of plug 64 can be used for labelling the cell units 110. A description of the goods in the cell unit 110 adjacent to the plug 6 can if desired be written on the face 66 of the plug and a small arrow 78 used to point to the particular cell unit.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efiiciently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above constructions Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be intercepted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A sectional cellaret comprising, in combination; a plurality of stacked, elongated, rigid unitary cell units each defined by a plurality of side wall panels integral with each other; each of said cell units being generally symmetrical in cross section; three of said side wall panels provided with a groove means each of which is in a side wall panel which is at an angle of approximately with respect to the next side wall panel which contains a groove; three other of said side wall panels provided with a tongue means, each of which is in a side Wall panel which is at an angle of approximately 120 with respect to the next side wall panel which contains a tongue and at an angle of approximately 60 with respect to the next side wall panel which contains a groove, said tongue and groove means of adjacent cell units being interfitting to fasten together a plurality of cell units; six additional side wall panels each located between and adjacent to one of said side panels containing a groove and one of said side panels containing a tongue, each of said six additional side Wall panels being plain faced to provide a space between three adjacent cell units when the corresponding tongues and grooves of said three adjacent cell units are joined together; clip means inserted in said space between said three adjacent cell units; and said clip means being biased outwardly to contact at least one side panel of each said three cell units to maintain said cell units in fixed longitudinal relation With each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Burgin July 24, 1877 Babcock Oct. 24, 1882 Lewis Nov. 7, 1882 Sucro June 7, 1892 Pinney May 3, 1898 4 Berry Jan. 16, 1900 Gerlat Dec. 18, 1923 Kellogg Ian. 5, 1932 Birkenhauer July 2, 1935 Graham Aug. 17, 1937 Fraz Dec. 4, 1951 Nelson Nov. 15, 1955 Brooks Oct. 22, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia Mar. 27, 1953 

